Wild animal sighting you felt the luckiest to experience?
- Thread starter elefante
- Start date
Hmm, there's a good few!
Multiple Humpback Whales surfacing and hanging out around the boat on a whale-watching tour off Newfoundland. Even a calf or two.
Visiting the seabird colony at Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve and being surrounded by thousands of gannets, murres, kittiwakes, and more. They're flying right over your head and right in front of you, and are they noisy!
Getting out to a local state park early in the morning and got to see a Gray Fox meandering home, a good ten minutes in view.
Bald Eagle stealing fish from an Osprey while flying overhead, that was something else. Lots of screaming and arial acrobatics til finally the Osprey dropped the fish. Eagle dove and caught it before it was even halfway to the ground.
The craziness that ensues when a Bald Eagle barrels into a flock of geese and then suddenly there's thousands of geese high-tailing it your direction at low clearance! I've seen eagles manage to catch geese during those runs before.
Multiple Humpback Whales surfacing and hanging out around the boat on a whale-watching tour off Newfoundland. Even a calf or two.
Visiting the seabird colony at Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve and being surrounded by thousands of gannets, murres, kittiwakes, and more. They're flying right over your head and right in front of you, and are they noisy!
Getting out to a local state park early in the morning and got to see a Gray Fox meandering home, a good ten minutes in view.
Bald Eagle stealing fish from an Osprey while flying overhead, that was something else. Lots of screaming and arial acrobatics til finally the Osprey dropped the fish. Eagle dove and caught it before it was even halfway to the ground.
The craziness that ensues when a Bald Eagle barrels into a flock of geese and then suddenly there's thousands of geese high-tailing it your direction at low clearance! I've seen eagles manage to catch geese during those runs before.
For me, my favorite wildlife experience was when I lived on Oahu from 2018 to early 2020. My house was about a ten minute drive from a small beach, which always had such calm water, due to a rock wall that blocked the waves being present along the shoreline. I would go snorkeling with my dad there all the time, and we would see a lot of cool fish like trevally, cleaner wrasse, and needlefish. However, the coolest animals I have seen there were Green Sea Turtles. Almost every time we went out there, there would be at least one swimming around. A good amount of people come to the beach every day, so the turtles were used to people and let you get really close. Three visits to the beach in a row, I got to swim with them, and on the third visit there were two!
That was my main one, but here are some other ones worth mentioning:
- I got to see an Osprey catch a small catfish from a pond in Georgia.
- When I was living in Monterey, California, I was in 4th grade. I was walking to school with my mom, when this coyote started walking down the road in the open, and walked right past us! Luckily, it was only walking down the road that was located right behind us since we were on an intersection.
- I got to see two crows harass a Turkey Vulture.
- I was feeding ducks at a pond in Maui some fish food, when a Black-Crowned Night Heron swooped down and grabbed a piece of the food. As I watched, it put the food into deep water, using it as bait. It waited until an unlucky baby koi swam by, and speared it.
- I got to see baby American Black Bears cross a road while on a trip with my friend in Tennessee.
- While I was on vacation in Sydney, Australia, I was eating at an outdoor restaurant. I remember seeing Silver Gulls landing on people’s tables and stealing food right of their plates! Luckily it didn’t happen to us.
- I was on a fishing trip on Maui, when a pod of Spinner Dolphins started swimming alongside our boat. On the same trip I also got to see a Humpback Whale breach, and flying fish.
That was my main one, but here are some other ones worth mentioning:
- I got to see an Osprey catch a small catfish from a pond in Georgia.
- When I was living in Monterey, California, I was in 4th grade. I was walking to school with my mom, when this coyote started walking down the road in the open, and walked right past us! Luckily, it was only walking down the road that was located right behind us since we were on an intersection.
- I got to see two crows harass a Turkey Vulture.
- I was feeding ducks at a pond in Maui some fish food, when a Black-Crowned Night Heron swooped down and grabbed a piece of the food. As I watched, it put the food into deep water, using it as bait. It waited until an unlucky baby koi swam by, and speared it.
- I got to see baby American Black Bears cross a road while on a trip with my friend in Tennessee.
- While I was on vacation in Sydney, Australia, I was eating at an outdoor restaurant. I remember seeing Silver Gulls landing on people’s tables and stealing food right of their plates! Luckily it didn’t happen to us.
- I was on a fishing trip on Maui, when a pod of Spinner Dolphins started swimming alongside our boat. On the same trip I also got to see a Humpback Whale breach, and flying fish.
I forgot about my Tibetan plateau trip; Bharal on the cliffs behind the monastery, Tibetan Gazelles, herds of wild asses and a Wolf that ran alongside the minibus for a short while. While watching my first Saker, a flock of Pallas’ Sandgrouse flew past; which do I follow?
Australia - watching platypus at dusk, tree kangaroo, musky rat kangaroo, saltwater crocodile, listening to (and glimpsing) lyrebird.
Some great UK twitching as well; Ancient Murrelet on Lundy, drake Harlequin Duck on the Hebrides, flyover views of White-tailed Eagle after seeing Barn Owl and male Hen Harrier at the same site. As I said, far too many to list, but wonderful to recall, and, once Covid allows travel to return, I plan on adding to this list!
Australia - watching platypus at dusk, tree kangaroo, musky rat kangaroo, saltwater crocodile, listening to (and glimpsing) lyrebird.
Some great UK twitching as well; Ancient Murrelet on Lundy, drake Harlequin Duck on the Hebrides, flyover views of White-tailed Eagle after seeing Barn Owl and male Hen Harrier at the same site. As I said, far too many to list, but wonderful to recall, and, once Covid allows travel to return, I plan on adding to this list!
Greenshank
Well-Known Member
In terms of luckiest, not rarest or best view I have 4 UK ones...
Wildcat running out in front of the car in Scotland (can't be 100% sure it was a pure one but looked close enough)
Polecat did the same in Wales
Otter in broad daylight in Southampton
A great bustard which flew right past me on a walk around Lymington, Hampshire
I've also seen a fair amount of exotic stuff abroad and rare things which I looked for but these stand out because they were completely unexpected and seen by pure chance
Wildcat running out in front of the car in Scotland (can't be 100% sure it was a pure one but looked close enough)
Polecat did the same in Wales
Otter in broad daylight in Southampton
A great bustard which flew right past me on a walk around Lymington, Hampshire
I've also seen a fair amount of exotic stuff abroad and rare things which I looked for but these stand out because they were completely unexpected and seen by pure chance
Thats a nice bunch of species.
I've been wanting to find a place to go camp out and find some otters, I know someone farther up north who knows were some are, so I'm hoping to go find some soon enough next year.
My first otter crawled up onto a Shetland beach and went to sleep in front of me! I did have a close encounter with a polecat-type, but the fact that I saw it in daylight makes me think it might have been a ferret. Not seen Great Bustard in UK, but have seen them in Spain, and the only African flock in Morocco. Finally, a glimpse of Wildcat in Morocco; VERY envious of a UK sighting!
In terms of British sightings; I remember well known naturalist Chris Packham listing his top 40 or 50 UK wildlife events, one of which he had not seen himself. I have; the dance of the adders where two males entwine their necks and fight for dominance. Wonderful!
wen i was in northen scottland 4 years ago i randomly saw an otter during the day only time i have sean any wild otter
Greenshank
Well-Known Member
That's exciting, very cool to see otters in the wild. Good luck! Any idea which species that would be?Thats a nice bunch of species.
I've been wanting to find a place to go camp out and find some otters, I know someone farther up north who knows were some are, so I'm hoping to go find some soon enough next year.
Greenshank
Well-Known Member
I think the Scottish Islands are definitely THE place for a daytime European otter sighting. I once saw a large male on the Isle of Mull catch a conger eel and then drag it back to its burrow, definitely the best view I've ever had of one
The One that lives in my home range, the North American River otter.
Well thats cool, Especially the Conger eel!
Greenshank
Well-Known Member
Some very nice sightings there as well. My polecat was out during the day as well, albeit dawn in rural Pembrokeshire. If you saw a Wildcat in Morocco, would that be the African subspecies? Very jealous of your adder sighting. Finally managed to see adders for the first time this March after years of wanting to. 2 males and a female but no sign of mating behaviour
Yes, African subspecies. Disappeared up into a tree in the cedar forests where the Barbary Macaques live, but they don’t have a long tail! I’ve been lucky with Adders, but have never seen a wild British Grass Snake.
Greenshank
Well-Known Member
I've uploaded a photo to the gallery in case anyone didn't believe me!
Greenshank
Well-Known Member
That's a very cool sighting, can't think what else it could've been. A macaque getting bitten on the backside by a snake perhaps
Interesting as I always though grass snakes were the easier one to see but I may have just been lucky. I saw one swimming once which was cool. That said I've always found snakes generally hard to spot whilst others seem to see them all the time. Now seen all the British native reptiles besides the smooth snake
Greenshank
Well-Known Member
Definitely a Conger. I saw it pretty clearly through binoculars, but the photo isn't that greatSuper cool! Any Idea what the species of eel it could be?
I've never seen too many snake species in the wild, My favorites were when I lived in a different place than I do now (still in the U.S.) and picked up a garter snake out of the Garden and Brought it to the Porch to show everyone. Lets just say that the Snake didn't please the majority of people standing there.That's a very cool sighting, can't think what else it could've been. A macaque getting bitten on the backside by a snake perhaps
Interesting as I always though grass snakes were the easier one to see but I may have just been lucky. I saw one swimming once which was cool. That said I've always found snakes generally hard to spot whilst others seem to see them all the time. Now seen all the British native reptiles besides the smooth snake
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